Chapter 248.
They had passed through a curtain which had fallen into shreds behind them, as through it had never existed. There was no going back. Without the prurient impositions of Diana and Eleanor it may never have happened, but that wasnât important. They both knew they werenât really gay, and they jibbed at Eleanorâs whispered âsissy-boysâ, though they could understand her justification in saying it. But they felt no guilt or shame, and when they were finally released from their bondage, and had stretched and exercised for a minute or two, they looked at each other and grinned.
âWow, BobbyâŠthat were intense, yeah?â
âWhat a pervert you are, Tim. I should have realised that four years ago.â
âIf I am one, soâs youâŠâ
âYeah, I knowâŠâ
It was on the surface a simple relationship, but after all the years theyâd known each other there was a lot more under the surface. Tim had had a crush on his friend since secondary school, and whereas such childish affection between boys normally fades as the girls grow and become more appealing, in this case Bobby actually possessed more feminine allure than they. Moreover he depended on Bobby in many ways, for comradeship, for loyalty, for guidance in life. He respected Bobbyâs intellectual powers, and relied on him to help him make the right decisions. Reciprocally, Bobby liked Tim for his openness, his honesty, his habit of saying what was in his mind, his total lack of filters â the absence of the âpersonaâ. This he regarded as a rare psychological strength, and it was backed up by Timâs physical strength, which had been Bobbyâs protector on several occasions when others sought to exploit his delicacy. But there was more to Bobbyâs feelings than a mere objective regard for Timâs masculinity; the feminine element in his psyche also responded emotionally. Their affection was mutual, as was the inclination to express it physically.
âWeâre leaving, boys,â smiled Diana, and she and Eleanor put away the last aids in the special cupboards and locked the doors. âFull marks for what you did today. It opens up all sorts of possibilitiesâŠâ
âWe heard something about a dress, BobbyâŠâ remarked Eleanor.
âYeah, That a way down the line, though. Cynthiaâs still working on the design, I believe.â
âWhat do you think about that, Timothy?â
âYeah, well, if âe wants to wear dresses, let âim. Suit âim, I reckinâŠâ he said, evasively.
âHmmâŠâ was Eleanorâs only reply.
They were in a mess. The parlour was in a mess. They were wondering how to start, when Ellie arrived. She took one look at them, and another at the floor, and burst out laughing.
âWhatâs been going on here? Boot parlour? Looks more like a milking parlour! Look at the state of you two. And why are your lips swollen like thatâŠ?â
The boys looked at the ground.
âWell, never mind,â she said, suspiciously. âJust go get showered and changed. Iâll mop up here. Go on. Off you go.â
âThanks, EllieâŠâ
âYeah, fanksâŠâ
âOh, and by the way, Saturday. Tim, you have one customer in the afternoon, by yourself.â
âBy meself?â
âYes. Phillipa. Sheâs new so it would be intimidating to have both of you together.â
âWhy me? Why notâŠâ
âWe drew lots. You lost. Donât look like that, please. Itâll be Bobby next time. So Bobby, youâre free. May wants to take you out somewhere. Sheâll come pick you up at lunchtime.â
âWhere does sheâŠâ
âNo idea. Itâs a surprise, I think. Okay?â
âSureâŠâ
When sheâd finished she paid a call on the girls.
âI donât know what That Murchison woman and her friend had them doing, but they looked like theyâd spent a night in a brothel! Iâm telling you, May. Itâs true. There was c-um all over the fronts of their shorts, all down their legs and all over the floor. And they both had swollen lips, like theyâd been snogging â I mean serious snogging! So you may want to give them a break from their, you know, education, tonightâŠâ
Jessica and May looked at each other.
âDo you thinkâŠ?â began Jessica.
âWell they werenât snogging the ladies, cos I met them earlier when they were coming down the path. Giggling a lot, but quite unruffled.â
âThen they must have beenâŠâ
âThey must. Weâll get it out of them. That would be so cuteâŠâ
They went down straight after work. Sure enough, the boys seemed rather low-key. Happy, but for them, rather quiet. May opened the conversation.
âSo⊠How was work today? We were really busy.â
âFine, May⊠Yeah, fine, eh Tim?â
âEr, yeah⊠FineâŠâ
âSo were you busy?â
âOh, quite busyâŠâ
âYeah, sorta quite busyâŠâ
They were getting nowhere.
âI ran into those two women from the committeeâŠwhat are their names? Murkyditch and Bowson or something? Coming from your direction. Was it them?â
The boys exchanged glances.
âOh, yeah, I fink soâŠâ
âYou think so, Tim? Donât you know?â
âOh, Tim doesnât know them very wellâŠâ
âBut they were here before.â
âWere they? Oh, yes, they were. Werenât they, Tim?â
âGuys â cut the crap,â interjected Jessica. What happened? Come on, spill it.â
The girls, by means of endearments and threats, they extracted the truth bit by bit. They even insisted on inspecting the crime scene, and forcing the boys to duplicate their positions. What the boys didnât mention was the snogging.
âI always thought those two were perverts,â said Jessica, delighted, âbut imagine dreaming up that sort of scenario.â
âIt must have been planned for when they were building the place,â said May. âWhich means Miss Poole was also the instigator. The entire committee must be in on the whole thing!â
âDid they take any photos?â
âPhotos and videos,â admitted Bobby, reluctantly.
âOh my god, theyâre all going to be leching over them!â cried May; adding, âwish we could see themâŠâ
âSo boys,â said Jessica, slyly, âhow did your lips get all swollen, then?â
âWhat?â
âEllie told us, when she found you, your lips were swollen. How come?â
âI⊠No they werenât⊠She must have⊠I mean, everything was swollen, cos of being in that positionâŠâ
âBobby, tell the truth. Ellie knows all about snogging â no-one more so. So admit it. You snogged each other. You were forced to, I get it. But thatâs the truth, isnât it?â
Their faces were enough admission.
âShow us how you did it.â
âYeah, come on. We want to judge how good you are. Donât be so shy. Afterwards you can snog us.â
Eventually the boys gave in, and, sitting side by side on the sofa, exchanged some half-hearted pecks.
âWhatâs that?â asked Jessica, incredulously. âTim â you know how to kiss. Now kiss Bobby how you did earlier. Or Iâm leaving.â
âOh, fer fuc-kâs sakeâŠâ
He grabbed Bobby in both arms, put a hand behind his head, and gave him a Timothy Painyer one-minute special.
âSatisfied?â he asked, coming up for air.
âBobby is, anyway,â remarked May, looking at her boyfriendâs dazed face and tousled hair.